Delhi University students hold protest, demand implementation of UGC Equity Regulations 2026

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of students marched through Delhi University's North Campus on Tuesday, demanding the immediate implementation of the UGC Equity Regulations 2026. The protest, called the "Equity March," was organised by the All India Students' Association (AISA) along with other student groups.

Carrying placards and raising slogans, students said the recent judicial stay on the regulations had stalled a long-pending attempt to address caste-based discrimination in higher education.

Protesters argued that the equity regulations were not just procedural guidelines but a safeguard meant to ensure accountability and protection for students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes and implementation of the UGC Equity Regulations 2026 in line with the 'Rohith Act.'

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Law to prevent caste discrimination

'Rohith Act' refers to the proposed legislation, the Rohith Vemula Act, a demand for a central law in Indian higher education to prevent caste/identity-based discrimination against students. It is named after Rohith Vemula, a student of the University of Hyderabad , who died by suicide in 2016, allegedly over caste-based discrimination at the university.

Students said the regulations were the outcome of years of sustained movements on campuses across the country, aimed at forcing institutions to acknowledge and act against systemic exclusion. They alleged that the stay had once again left marginalised students vulnerable within universities.

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Forced the UGC to introduce regulations

Addressing the gathering, former JNUSU president Nitish said, "After years of blood and toil on the streets, we forced the UGC to introduce regulations that finally spoke the language of accountability. The stay on these guidelines is a clear indication that casteism remains deeply entrenched within the highest echelons of our institutions.

This is a battle for the very soul of our universities, and we will not rest until true equality is achieved." The march moved across key points in North Campus before concluding with a public meeting, where speakers reiterated the demand for legally enforceable guidelines under the 'Rohith Act'. Organisers said the protest was a warning that students would not accept the dilution or delay of equity measures.